Ex-Aston Martin engineer will oversee the development of Fisker’s ‘low-volume’ products.
Fisker, the American EV start-up developing the 480km Ocean SUV for launch in 2022, has appointed ex-Aston Martin engineer David King to head up a new UK-based special vehicles division.
Called Fisker Magic Works, it will “focus on low-volume, rapid-development vehicle programs and specialised versions of Fisker’s portfolio”, much like the Special Vehicle Operations division that King oversaw at Gaydon.
Fisker plans to expand its line-up to four models by 2025, and CEO Henrik Fisker said the new British division will provide “an opportunity to create sustainable and fantastic vehicles outside the confines of established industry segments”.
Fisker also plans to open a “brand experience centre” in London as it gears up to bring the Ocean to the UK market in 2023, meaning Australian deliveries could come soon after.
King, who has already been assigned two Fisker projects that are intended to showcase the use of specialised materials and technologies, called the appointment “incredibly exciting”. He said: “Having spent my career working on vehicles with high-displacement gasoline engines, I’m relishing working with the design and engineering freedom that electrification provides.”
Before heading up the Special Vehicle Operations division, King served as president of Aston Martin Racing and had a hand in the development of the DB7, V12 Vantage, Rapide and Valkyrie.
He’s one of several high-ranking executives to leave Aston Martin in recent months, along with designer Miles Nürnberger and chassis engineer Matt Becker.
Felix Page